(a) Field Of The Invention
This invention relates, in general, to a support stand or trestle suitable for use as a sawhorse and to its method of manufacture from pre-cut components. In particular, this invention relates to a knock-down support stand and to a kit comprising pre-cut or pre-formed components designed to fit together in a logical sequence in interlocking engagement for providing the support stand whenever and wherever needed for use.
(b) Description Of The Prior Art
Heretofore others have disclosed sawhorses provided from pre-cut components and kits for their assembly. Exemplary of this prior art are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,760,903; 4,182,432; and 4,390,081. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,903, there is disclosed a sawhorse which comprises an elongated top support member defining four beveled surfaces, four leg members and two gussets or brace members. The gussets are of trapezoidal shape and are each provided with grooves on their inside surface along their non-parallel edges for receipt of a portion of the top edge of a leg member. The gussets are connected to the leg members by fastening means, e.g. nails, which intrude through the gusset into the leg member, along the edge. The leg members are also connected to the top support member by fastening means which intrude from the outside surface of and through the leg members into the support member at the beveled surfaces. Due to the construction of the sawhorse, however, it would appear that the greater the load placed thereon, the greater there is the tendency for the legs to spread apart from one another not only in the lateral direction but also in the longitudinal direction. As the load increases, the legs will have a tendency in the longitudinal direction to pivot with respect to one another in counter rotating directions. Accordingly, the legs and gussets in combination with one another will have the tendency to separate from the respective beveled surfaces. And, as the load increases, the legs laterally opposed to one another will have the tendency to separate from one another laterally in a larger diverging angle resulting in the leg members being separated from the gusset to which they are attached and from the beveled surfaces of the elongated support member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,432 discloses a knock-down support apparatus which does not require any fasteners. This apparatus comprises a T-section cross-beam and two interlocking legs for connection thereto. The legs are provided with T-shaped cuts extending downwardly from the middle thereof and partially across the top. And the T-section cross-beam is provided with upwardly extending slots in the vertical section thereof for receipt of the legs. Although this apparatus may be quite suitable for some purposes, and would appear to have the advantage of ease of assembly and without need for use of fastening means, its use is believed to be somewhat limited due to its construction. In particular, the legs do not appear to be supported sufficiently along their inside and outside surfaces to enable the support apparatus to support very heavy loads. Only the interlock between the T-section cross-beam and the legs at the horizontally disposed platform would seem to prevent the legs from spreading apart in a longitudinal direction when a load is placed on the platform member. Moreover, the shape: of the T-section cross-beam requires added storage space for the support apparatus.
The sawhorse disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,081 is somewhat similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,903, in that it comprises four leg members, an elongated top support surface defining four beveled surfaces, two gussets or brace members, and fastening means for fastening the leg members to the beveled surfaces and the brace members to the leg members. The sawhorses differ, however, in that the beveled surfaces in U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,081 are defined by notches provided inwardly a predetermined distance from each end of the elongated top support surface rather than just inwardly from the ends as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,903. Thus, the leg members are confined at both sides at the top thereof and the leg members are deemed less likely to pivot in the longitudinal direction in counter-rotating directions as load on the sawhorse increases. Nevertheless, it would appear that, like the sawhorse in U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,903, there still remains the problem of lateral separation of leg members as the load is increased attendant with separation of the leg members from the brace members and from the beveled surfaces. Moreover, this sawhorse still requires separate fastening means in the assembly and connection together of the pre-cut components, in addition to a hammer or other tool for driving the fastening means into the pre-cut wood components.